Turret gun gas ejection system



y 1957 F. WARLICK TURRET GUN GAS EJECTION SYSTEM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledSept. 20, 1950 IN V EN TOR.

K m .L M W K N A R F ATTYC y 9, 1957 F.WARL1CK 2,798,412

TURRET GUN GAS EJECTION SYSTEM Filed Sept. 20, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 lilINVENTOR. FRANK WARLICK rrys July 9, 1957 F, w c 2,798,412

TURRET GUN GAS EJECTION SYSTEM INVENTOR.

FRANK WARLICK jf/ip/ RAM.

J4; WAR/3 A T T Y5v 2,798,412 TURRET GUN GAS EEECTHQN SYSTEM FrankWar-lick, Washington, D. C.

Application September 20, 1950, Serial No. 185,899

1 Claim. (Cl. 891) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952). see. 266)This invention pertains to a rapid fire turret gun as sembly and morespecifically to the new and novel system and arrangement of parts of thegas ejection system for the gun slide assembly thereof whereby the.ejection of spent powder gases is acccomplished automatically and iscorrelated with the mechanical actions of the gun slide system in firingand in case ejection action.

This invention is particularly adapted for use with major caliber gunsof a type adapted for usage of prepacked cased semi-fixed ammunition oflarge bore, as for example, 8 inches. The prior art naval turretsmounting large bore guns have heretofore incorporated in their apparatusand method of operation, the usage of projectile propellant powdercharges packaged in cloth bags which are manually handled and loaded byattendants at the gun loading station. In the operation of a gun of thistype the gun breech is swabbed after firing of each round to expel spentparticles of powderand burned portions remaining after the firing of thepowder charge contained by the bag. It is desirable to have these gasesexpelled through the gun muzzle in order that the fumes may not remainand contaminate the interior of the turret house where the gun crews areworking. While inside of the turret house may be maintained at a slightpositive pressure over the atrnospheric pressure outside of the gunhouse to provide draft for removal of spent powder fumes and gases, sucha system does not provide suflicient and rapid ejection of theseundesirable gases. Moreover the manual swabbing of the gun breech alongwith positive gun house pressure as a means of exhausting these gasesand spent powder particles is relatively slow and is not well adaptedfor use with rapid fire gun assemblies.

The gas ejection incorporated in the gun slide assembly of the gun withwhich the present invention is intended to be used are well adapted foruse with semi-fixed cased ammunition rather than the powder bag type ofammunition previously used in guns of similar large bore. Theincorporation of semi-fixed case ammunition therein as handled by thenovel structural embodiment of the turrets is set forth and described ingreater detail in the copending application of Philias H. Girouard etal., Serial No. 153,262, filed March 31, 1950. The arrangehent of thecontrol device of the instant invention which is associated with themechanical elements of the gun case ejection system is adapted to becoupled to the upper end of the extractor spade wherein, after hydraulicaction by the extractor operating cylinder a valve is opened in the gasejection system to exhaust spent gases as the empty case is removed fromthe breech. The present system of gas ejection is well adapted foroperation with a high speed gun handling system and operatesautomatically at a predetermined time in the cycle of gun operation.

The instrumentalities effecting automatic gas ejection after firing aremechanically controlled by action of the extractor spades and areadditionally automatic in the pressure control arrangement. This isaccomplished by 2,798,412 Patented July 9, 1957 a suitably providedpilot valve on a second one of the valves of the instant system.

The instrumentalities effecting automatic gas ejection after gun firingare mechanically associated with the blow valve of this system, andbeing connected to the extractor operating mechanism are positivelyassociated therewith so that gas ejection takes place immediately afterthe empty case leaves the gun breech. Each such system is also providedwith an additional jet element which functions to maintain the breechbolt operating assembly in a clean and working condition at all times.This insures that the breech actuating elements are always in anoperative condition and that improper operation of the breech mechanismand malfunction of the gun system is greatly reduced or completelyeliminated.

The structure and positional arrangement of the elements of the gasejection system for use with a gun slide assembly are such as to permitthe mounting of all elements on the gun slide and slide housing. Asuitable sliding joint is provided between the housing and slide topermit pneumatic communication between the slide and moving assembliesof the housing to eifect gas ejection at the gun breech. A suitableswing joint assembly is shown and described with relationship to thissystem and provides a means for the passage of air under pressure from asuitable air source such as the ships compressor supply to theassemblies mounted on the gun slide.

A gas ejection system is thus provided wherein the gun and slideassembly and the movable housing thereof may be loaded and firedautomatically in any position of gun elevation and whereby gas ejectionafter firing will take place irrespective of the position of the gun.The instant invention eliminates the necessity for cumbersome andmanually handled swabs for powder bag fragment ejection, spent gasexhaust and unburned powder disposal and inaddition effectivelyeliminates the contamination of the air supply in the gun turret house.

One object of the present invention is the provision of a fullyautomatic gun loading and firing system in which many of the foregoingdisadvantages are obviated and which is adapted to performsatisfactorily all the essential functions of the systems heretoforedevised or now in general use and in which the possibility ofcontamination of the air supply in the gun house is greatly reduced andwherein apparatus malfunction or failure due to the effects of burnedpowder getting into working parts thereof is reduced to a minimum.

An additional object of this invention lies in the provision of a gasejection system adapted for use with rapid fire rate gun mechanism of amajor caliber turret assembly.

Another object of this invention lies in the provision of a gas ejectionsystem which is adapted for use with semi-fixed cased ammunition.

An additional object of the invention is the attainment of new andimproved gas ejection after gun firing which is positively mechanicallycoupled with the action of case extraction.

Another object of the invention lies in the accomplishments by improvedmeans of ejection of powder gases by the provision of air passages at aplurality of points within the gun breech proper.

Additionally, it is an object of this invention to provide a gasejection system capable of ejecting spent gases at any angle of gunelevation.

It is also an object of this invention to provide automatic gas ejectionin synchronized time relationship with the powder case extracting actionwhereby spent powder gases are prevented from entering the gun housechamber after the empty cartridge case is extracted from the gun breech.

A further object resides in the provision of a gas ejection system inwhich the elements thereof are adapted for mounting on the gun slide andhousing assembly adjacent the gun trunnions for movement with the gun inall positions of the gun in elevation.

Additional objects and advantages of this invention will be apparentfrom the following description of a. preferred embodiment of theinvention and the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a generaly schematic view of the gas ejector system showingits general arrangement with respect to a suitable gun slide and gunhousing assembly;

Fig. 2 illustrates the gas ejector pilot and flow control valve invertical section;

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of the gas ejector blow valve andillustrates its relationship with the tripping mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a view showing the air passages in the gun housing and gunbreech assembly and;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the gas ejector blow valve.

Referring now to Fig. l of the drawings, the showing is that of thearrangement of an assembled air line system 1 having valves and leadconnections therefrom to connect with an air supply source 2 such, forexample, as from the ships supply. The gas ejector system receives airfrom the source and directs a plurality of jets of compressed air to thepowder chamber and gun bore at 3 to expel gases from the muzzle of thegun after 'firing. Control of the gas ejection is by means of a valve 4which is arranged to be actuated by movement of one of the extractorspades shown, for example, at 5.

The principal components of the gas ejecting system as shown in Fig. 1are a manifold and pipe system 6 on the slide and gun housing and theswing joints 7 connecting the supply line 8 associated therewith, with apipe line 9 of the sliding expansion joint 10. A pilot valve 11 and flowcontrol valve 12 of Fig. 2 are associated with a blow valve 13 of Figs.1, 3 and 5. A tripping mechanism 14 is associated with the herein abovedescribed blow valve 13 and is coupled with a spade member at 5 of theextractor. The system also includes an air strainer 15, a manual gatevalve 17 for the purpose of shutting off ships air supply, and the pipeline 18 which is connected to the system at the cutoff gate valve 17.The shut-off valve is preferably located in the gun pocket below theslide trunnion 16. The air strainer is of conventional design andpermits flow upwardly thru a lower manifold unit 19 and therefrom thruthe swing joint 7 to an upper manifold 20 on the gun slide. The uppermanifold is preferably located adjacent the gun turret trunnion. Airflows upwardly to the flow control valve 12 throu the expansion jointstuffing box 21' to the slide housing assembly 22. Two air lines 23 and24 extend from the upper manifold as shown in Fig. 1. One line carriesair supply to the blow valve 13 located on the slide at the gun breech,and.

extends from the blow valve to pilot valve 11 on theslide. The second ofthese lines carries air supply from the upper manifold directly to theflow control valve 12, and extends rearwardly thru expansion joint 19 inthe slide to the manifold 25 on the gun housing. From'this manifold thesystem distributes air to two nozzles in the breech block guide at 26and 27 and to jet 28 in the breechway. The arrangement of these jets inthe breech block is as shown in Fig. 4. The air delivery from themanifold to the gun breech is by pipelines 29 and 30 and air passages 31and 32 to the gun housing as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. Delivery to the jet28 is by suitable tubing 33 and passage 34. The jet 2Sis an accessoryoutlet of the system and functions to blow off any particles of foreignmatter that lodge on the top surfaces of the bolt cam.

The swing joints of the gas ejector system are conventional highpressure flexible pipe connections of gooseneck type and are arranged toprovide positive air seal thruout their bending movement by means of anassembly including a male and female elbow. These elbows are arrangedwith double row ball bearings therein, but not shown, and suitableneoprene sealing rings, also not shown. The sealing rings function toprevent leakage of air under pressure from the joints of the system.

The sliding expansion joint is a telescoping pipe connection whichcarries compressed air from the fixed pipe installation of the slide tothe movable gun housing. The main part of the joint comprises a stuffingbox 21 and an outer sleeve member 35 arranged in a telescopicarrangement with an inner pipe 36. The mounting of the expansion jointin the illustrated embodiment, is in a bore of the slide recoil brakeassembly. It is a conventional pipe stuffing box through which movingelements move when the gun recoils and counter-recoils. A pilot valve ofthe system as shown in Fig. 2 is a conventional valve device whichfunctions to automatically control the period of air flow in the pipesystem through the flow control pipe 12 by acting as a means ofactuation for the flow control "valve. This pilot valve is connected toreceive air under pressure from the blow valve to provide opening actionfor the flow control valve. Construction of this assembly is such as toinclude a poppet-type air valve member 37 having a plunger unit 38thereof mounted so as to be on a common support with respect to thepilot valve. The construction and functional arrangement of the pilotvalve-flow control-valve-assembly includes a poppet-type air valvemember 39 of the flow control part of this assembly. It is spring loadedat 40 and arranged to seat at 41. The plunger unit shaft 42 is integralwith the valve member 39, is on a common axis and adapted to be engagedby a'shaft 43 of the piston 49 of the pilot valve. Theflow control valveis adjustable and is caused to open by action of the pilot valve and isreturned to seated positionby the action of the spring 40 which islocated under the valve closing member 39, and by air pressure appliedthereto:

The-functioning of this system is such that when air is admitted to theupper chamber of the pilot 11 with the air cutoff, at 41 in the flowcontrol valve 12 the plunger 43 is depressed to open the poppet 39. Theair in the upper chamber is allowed to escape to a seepage hole 45 of anair control screw 46. The poppet valve stem 42 and the plunger 43 moveupwardly under spring action to close the poppet valve 39 as air in theupper chamber escapes through the orifice 47 and through the seepagehole 45.

The initial movement of the poppet plunger occurs when air is portedthrough the upper chamber by opening the blow valve. The blow valve andits tripping device 48 are mounted on the rear of the recoil brakeassembly as shown at 13 in Fig. l. The valve as shown in detail in Fig.5 is a small poppet type and is adapted to beopened by the valveoperating lever 48 which is pivoted on its mounting frame bracket at 54.This mounting lever is tripped by the stroking movement of one of theextractor spade cylinders. It is this tripping arrangement which holdsthe valveopen only during the brief period of extractor spade movement.The pilot valve 11 is connected with the blow valve by the connection 23which runs from the outlet of the blow valve to the inlet of the pilotvalve cylinder. The inlet of the blow valve is connected by means ofline 3 with the air source 2. Adjustment is provided at 50 on the valveoperating lever arm to provide a means of regulating the spade positionat which the blow valve will open.

The gate type cutoff valve 17 and the air strainer associated therewithare of conventional design as is the blow valve 4; the details thereofbeing shown in Fig. 5 of" the drawing. The details of the gate valve 17which is of a globe type, are not shown. This valve enables positivecutoff of the ship's air supply. The strainer unit is a straining devicewhich has therein, a removable element of conventional design which maybe cleaned or replaced as desired.

Mounting of the gas ejector blow-offvalve is as shown in Fig. 3 andcomprises a valve bracket 51 supporting the blow valve 4. A pin member52 is arranged to actuate the arm assembly 53 which is mounted forpivotal movement on pin 54 and which is adjustable at 50 by means of ascrew and locknut assembly 55 to control the degree of actuation of thevalve by arm movement. It is this screw which actuates the plunger ofthe valve. The operating lever is arranged to connect with the pinroller shaft of the extractor cylinder assembly. The gas ejection systemof the invention may be adapted for either right or left handed gun use.The elements thereof are generally similar but of opposite hand, as thecase may be. The elements affected by such a design variation are thevalve tripping mechanism 48, the sliding expansion joint 10, themanifolds 6 and 19 and the piping associated therewith.

The operation of the gas ejection system is such that air is permittedto flow from the ships source thru the globe gate valve block and thencethrough line 18 to the air strainer where foreign particles suspended inthe air are removed. After passage thru the air filter the air isconducted by pipe 8 through the swing joints 7 at the lower manifold tothe upper manifold and thence to the flow control valve 12. The poppet39 of this valve is opened to permit air flow in the direction shown inFig. 2 upon actuation by pressure applied to the upper surface of thepiston 49 of the floating piston type control unit 11. Flow from thepoppet valve is carried to a manifold on the housing by means of thesliding valve joint which provides a coupling arrangement between thegun slide and the slide housing at any position of the breech in recoiland counterrecoil. The pressure flow from the manifold on the housing isthru the lines 29, 30 and 33. Passages 31 and 32 are connected tointroduce air into the interior of the gun breech while passage 28 isfor the purpose of directing an air jet against the elements of thebreech bolt cam actuating assembly.

The operation of the elements of the system which permit and control theperiod and sequence of gas ejection is accomplished by the flow of airthru the blow valve upon actuation by the arm thereof and the elementsassociated with the extractor spade roller. Upon opening to permit flowthru the valve 4 from line 24 to line 23 air pressure is introduced thruthe inlet at the top of the floating piston chamber associated with thepoppet valve. This pressure forces the piston down to open the poppetvalve. The arrangement additionally includes an exhaust orifice from theupper chamber of the floating piston to provide slow leak off ofpressure after closing of the valve 13 upon additional movement of theextractor spade. As the pressure is permitted to leak olf at thisorifice, which is adjusted by means of the screw adjustment on the topof the piston cylinder head, the spring beneath the poppet valve acts toclose this valve. Pres- 6 sure is reintroduced above the floating valveon the next cycle of ejection operation.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in the light of the above teaching. it is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claim the invention maybe practiced otherwise than specifically described.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government of the United States of America for governmental purposeswithout the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

In combination in a gas ejection system for a major caliber guncomprising a source of air under pressure and including a pipe linecircuit system connected thereto and having a plurality of exhaustelements associated therewith, a control initiating means operativelyassociated with the gun assemblies and adapted for actuation at emptycase ejection, manifolding means adapted to receive the air underpressure and disburse it through the plurality of outlets, a slidingjoint element arranged to permit flow from the gun slide to a gunhousing of the gun system in any position of the housing in recoil orcounterrecoil, a valve type operation initiating means adapted forcoupled arrangement with the extractor mechanism of the gun system, aflow control means in said piping system to control flow from saidsource to said manifold, said last named means being pneumaticallycoupled to the means responsive to case ejection to control the actionof the said air flow control means wherein said air flow control meanscomprises a poppet type valve assembly having a floating piston andpiston rod mounted thereon, a cylinder for reception of said piston, aninlet port therein in communication with the valve of said operationinitiating means, and vent means in said floating cylinder assembly forcontrolling the period of air discharge after the cessation of actuationof the said first named means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS783,050 Knapp et al. Feb. 21, 1905 789,687 Edwards et al. May 9, 19051,016,216 Dawson et al. Jan. 30, 1912 1,067,720 Dawson et al. July 15,1913 1,073,298 Smith Sept. 16, 1913 1,302,521 Dawson et al. May 16, 1919FOREIGN PATENTS 28,785 Great Britain of 1903 361,386 France June 22,1906 403,918 France Nov. 18, 1909

